Bobby Smith

[Chalky]

Bootleg design on vinyl...

[Benji]

16 minutes ago, chalky said:

There is an original on styrene of that design if memory serves, boot is vinyl?

Don't know if it's styrene or vinyl. But yes, there is an original issue with that very same design (i.e. no lines) but the original is silver writing on black label.

[givemesoul]

[givemesoul]

original demo so people can tell the difference also has small stars in the run out

[Speedlimit]

The boots defo vinyl  white Black writing as stated  had all three different copies over the years black and white demo red and white and black issue   great record that epitomises the 80s, & 90's niter scene 

[Tlscapital]

20 hours ago, Benji said:

When was the bootleg pressed? And was it done for the UK Soul Scene or the Belgian Popcorn scene?

From what I recall the boot had white label/black writing just like the white demo but was missing the line on the label and the "not for sale" etc part.

Very first press is the plain white label (no promo inscription though) then the plain black stocker. Then later the issues with the lines promo (black and red writing) then the lined black stocker likely to supply demand. The "lookalike" bootleg made in the mid 9T's (if my memory...) is taken from the first promo but it is vinyl unlike the original ones who are all styrene. It was made for the pop-corn scene I believe, but who by then had already some linked people with the northern soul scene all over the world for the business as well.

[Neckender]

On 1 May 2018 at 15:29, BabyBoyAndMyLass said:

Discovery, venues, first plays, DJs etc...

My lass doesn't recall it from WC and Ms at all, I first heard early 80s, my lass knows it well and used to ask for it at Keele 80s (probably our Keith) however she can't put a finger on how/where/when she knew it from. If it's not a fave please no hate mail. 

 

This is a Tim Ashibende discovery, around 1981.  I can't remember which dj he sold it to; maybe gary rushbrooke, who we were quite close to at the time.  As i remember, Tim wasn't that keen on it and was glad to part with it.  

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

29 minutes ago, neckender said:

This is a Tim Ashibende discovery, around 1981.  I can't remember which dj he sold it to; maybe gary rushbrooke, who we were quite close to at the time.  As i remember, Tim wasn't that keen on it and was glad to part with it.  

Brilliant! Thanks, we had established that it was championed by Gary Rushbrooke at Stafford among other places, pleased to here it was one of Tim's discoveries though, knew Tim back in the day, good lad, ...for a Stokie! 

Fancy him not being that keen on it, stellar spin that it is! It is coming back in a big way, my lass been championing it everywhere on farcebook!

Thanks for the input! 

[Gilly]

1 hour ago, neckender said:

This is a Tim Ashibende discovery, around 1981.  I can't remember which dj he sold it to; maybe gary rushbrooke, who we were quite close to at the time.  As i remember, Tim wasn't that keen on it and was glad to part with it.  

I remember Gary I'm sure he played it first, of course a lot of Tim's finds ended up in Gary's DJ set 

[Ged Parker]

Gary Rushbrooke early 80's.  It may have been around on tapes before that but I hadn't heard it before then.  I'm not sure it's ever been away since has it? The boot caught a few people out when it appeared it was so close to an original.

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

1 hour ago, ged parker said:

Gary Rushbrooke early 80's.  It may have been around on tapes before that but I hadn't heard it before then.  I'm not sure it's ever been away since has it? The boot caught a few people out when it appeared it was so close to an original.

We wonder how people don't know it but surprising how many on the 21st C scene don't know it, I envy them because they are knocked out by it for the first time!

Absolutely wicked sound! 

[Chalky]

1 hour ago, BabyBoyAndMyLass said:

We wonder how people don't know it but surprising how many on the 21st C scene don't know it, I envy them because they are knocked out by it for the first time!

Absolutely wicked sound! 

I would imagine it is played everywhere....except of course down the south west.  

[Dylan]

It’s been hammered for 30+ years it’s amazing there a people who don’t know it.

 

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

52 minutes ago, chalky said:

I would imagine it is played everywhere....except of course down the south west.  

That would be the case yes, although two of the DJs who come here regularly have now bought copies so that is going to change!

23 minutes ago, dylan said:

It’s been hammered for 30+ years it’s amazing there a people who don’t know it.

 

See above quote. Yes we heard it out all the time 80s and 90s when we lived oop north, it seems like the southern(ish) crowd didn't seem to know it, perhaps it wasn't much of a sound at Yate!

Nah what it is the new crowd don't know it, the ones that have come in the last five or ten years, it's a bit of a giveaway!

[Dylan]

Plenty of youngsters on the scene where you are ?

 

that can only be a good thing.

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

7 minutes ago, dylan said:

Plenty of youngsters on the scene where you are ?

 

that can only be a good thing.

No, I wasn't talking youngsters, 'New' Old-soulies.

[Dylan]

There is a mountain of music for them to get there teeth (or dentures) into then....

 

i bought loads of those dodgy bootleg cd’s when I first got into northern they had some very good stuff from Stafford era on them.

 

this is one I really like but haven’t heard out too often more recently.    Full on stomper.

 

.

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

Jesse Slaughter, nice spin Dylan!

[Lionelonthevinyl]

I've been following this thread and all the records mentioned, I've heard at all the under played rare soul do,s .......you don't get many folk at these but the music is always brilliant.....each to there own but how about Eddie Holman...Hold me in your arms on grapevine...heard this played by Gillys better half Nicola at a little do I go to.....picked up for a tenner....it's a tad dearer now....each to there own...kind regards...Rob

 

 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Lionelonthevinyl

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

3 hours ago, Lionelonthevinyl said:

I've been following this thread and all the records mentioned, I've heard at all the under played rare soul do,s .......you don't get many folk at these but the music is always brilliant.....each to there own but how about Eddie Holman...Hold me in your arms on grapevine...heard this played by Gillys better half Nicola at a little do I go to.....picked up for a tenner....it's a tad dearer now....each to there own...kind regards...Rob

 

 

Lionel, please post this son, please!

 

[Peter99]

5 hours ago, dylan said:

There is a mountain of music for them to get there teeth (or dentures) into then....

 

i bought loads of those dodgy bootleg cd’s when I first got into northern they had some very good stuff from Stafford era on them.

 

this is one I really like but haven’t heard out too often more recently.    Full on stomper.

 

.

Yep that’s a proper record. Full on stomper? I’m not so sure about that. It’s one of those records that I always did that posy, lazy walkabout dance style to. Stomper type stuff was never really my bag.

Pete 

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

1 hour ago, Peter99 said:

Yep that’s a proper record. Full on stomper? I’m not so sure about that. It’s one of those records that I always did that posy, lazy walkabout dance style to. Stomper type stuff was never really my bag.

Pete 

Poser!

[Peter99]

41 minutes ago, BabyBoyAndMyLass said:

Poser!

 

41 minutes ago, BabyBoyAndMyLass said:

Poser!

l

[Dylan]

6 hours ago, Peter99 said:

Yep that’s a proper record. Full on stomper? I’m not so sure about that. It’s one of those records that I always did that posy, lazy walkabout dance style to. Stomper type stuff was never really my bag.

Pete 

Yes maybe stomper is the wrong word it has a hard edge to it. 

[Colouredman]

I’ll tell you the story about Bobbie Smith and how it came to be played.

Back in the early 80’s I had boxes of junk records at my Mums. George Romanis (R.I.P), used to get oddball stuff off me and asked if he could come and have a look thru what I had. I actually used to refer to It as my ‘Shit Box’ coz to me everything in it was rubbish; rejects and totally none Northern.

Bear in mind this was late Wigan / Early Stafford time, when the sound was about to change (to slower etc) but hadn’t quite done so. So to me, at that time Bobbie Smith bore no resemblance to Northern as we knew it hitherto. To me it sounded too early, not smooth, no instrumentation or breaks or high points, just a morose ‘going nowhere’ oddity. 

It was something I’d bought blind from Goldmine or Discoveries magazine hoping it would be as good as the Volumes on same label, but sadly, for me it wasn’t. I still think the same now.

Sorry to upset people here but when you consider the credentials... Duke Browner etc it’s poor (Think Volumes, Magnetics, Lollipops, Duke himself etc), it’s a very poor record.

Sounds like that we’re always my problem with Stafford; too many mediocre plodding mid tempo records with poor lyrics or no melody or obvious hook, too early, too slow etc, and way too morose. How many feel good happy records did Stafford throw up? Not many.

Anyway I digress; that’s another story. So this one summer Sunday George came to my Mums. I pointed him in the direction of the ‘Shit Boxes’ describing them exactly so, and left him to it while I disappeared for a couple of hours to play a game in a Squash League.

I returned to find (to my amazement) that George had managed to ‘find’ quite a pile of stuff, including the Bobbie Smith. I couldn’t believe it; I couldn’t believe that someone actually wanted to buy my junk records! By the way, every record in that box was automatically a quid!

Incidentally out of the same box he also pulled Jimmy Seals Yesterday of our love’ so that’s where that one started out too.

George then went on to sell it to either Gary or Guy I think, but it started life as a reject in my ‘Shit Box’!!! Lol.

 

[Still Diggin]

Are, somebody with the same opinion on stafford plays as me!, now that's unusual. The 'no melody and poor lyrics bit' did ring a bell.

[Len]

1 hour ago, colouredman said:

I’ll tell you the story about Bobbie Smith and how it came to be played.

Back in the early 80’s I had boxes of junk records at my Mums. George Romanis (R.I.P), used to get oddball stuff off me and asked if he could come and have a look thru what I had. I actually used to refer to It as my ‘Shit Box’ coz to me everything in it was rubbish; rejects and totally none Northern.

Bear in mind this was late Wigan / Early Stafford time, when the sound was about to change (to slower etc) but hadn’t quite done so. So to me, at that time Bobbie Smith bore no resemblance to Northern as we knew it hitherto. To me it sounded too early, not smooth, no instrumentation or breaks or high points, just a morose ‘going nowhere’ oddity. 

It was something I’d bought blind from Goldmine or Discoveries magazine hoping it would be as good as the Volumes on same label, but sadly, for me it wasn’t. I still think the same now.

Sorry to upset people here but when you consider the credentials... Duke Browner etc it’s poor (Think Volumes, Magnetics, Lollipops, Duke himself etc), it’s a very poor record.

Sounds like that we’re always my problem with Stafford; too many mediocre plodding mid tempo records with poor lyrics or no melody or obvious hook, too early, too slow etc, and way too morose. How many feel good happy records did Stafford throw up? Not many.

Anyway I digress; that’s another story. So this one summer Sunday George came to my Mums. I pointed him in the direction of the ‘Shit Boxes’ describing them exactly so, and left him to it while I disappeared for a couple of hours to play a game in a Squash League.

I returned to find (to my amazement) that George had managed to ‘find’ quite a pile of stuff, including the Bobbie Smith. I couldn’t believe it; I couldn’t believe that someone actually wanted to buy my junk records! By the way, every record in that box was automatically a quid!

Incidentally out of the same box he also pulled Jimmy Seals Yesterday of our love’ so that’s where that one started out too.

George then went on to sell it to either Gary or Guy I think, but it started life as a reject in my ‘Shit Box’!!! Lol.

 

Thanks for that info - I have a 'Sh*t shelf'......I'm forever finding stuff on it that I now seem to like 

It would be interesting if you went through that 'Sh*t Box' of yours today. As in, wondering if your personal taste has somewhat changed since back then.

All the best,

Len 

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

4 hours ago, colouredman said:

I’ll tell you the story about Bobbie Smith and how it came to be played.

Back in the early 80’s I had boxes of junk records at my Mums. George Romanis (R.I.P), used to get oddball stuff off me and asked if he could come and have a look thru what I had. I actually used to refer to It as my ‘Shit Box’ coz to me everything in it was rubbish; rejects and totally none Northern.

Bear in mind this was late Wigan / Early Stafford time, when the sound was about to change (to slower etc) but hadn’t quite done so. So to me, at that time Bobbie Smith bore no resemblance to Northern as we knew it hitherto. To me it sounded too early, not smooth, no instrumentation or breaks or high points, just a morose ‘going nowhere’ oddity. 

It was something I’d bought blind from Goldmine or Discoveries magazine hoping it would be as good as the Volumes on same label, but sadly, for me it wasn’t. I still think the same now.

Sorry to upset people here but when you consider the credentials... Duke Browner etc it’s poor (Think Volumes, Magnetics, Lollipops, Duke himself etc), it’s a very poor record.

Sounds like that we’re always my problem with Stafford; too many mediocre plodding mid tempo records with poor lyrics or no melody or obvious hook, too early, too slow etc, and way too morose. How many feel good happy records did Stafford throw up? Not many.

Anyway I digress; that’s another story. So this one summer Sunday George came to my Mums. I pointed him in the direction of the ‘Shit Boxes’ describing them exactly so, and left him to it while I disappeared for a couple of hours to play a game in a Squash League.

I returned to find (to my amazement) that George had managed to ‘find’ quite a pile of stuff, including the Bobbie Smith. I couldn’t believe it; I couldn’t believe that someone actually wanted to buy my junk records! By the way, every record in that box was automatically a quid!

Incidentally out of the same box he also pulled Jimmy Seals Yesterday of our love’ so that’s where that one started out too.

George then went on to sell it to either Gary or Guy I think, but it started life as a reject in my ‘Shit Box’!!! Lol.

 

Thanks for that Tim, good to hear from you. Interesting tale, know what you mean about some of the Stafford sounds too!

We love the Bobbie Smith record but, if we all liked the same ones then it'd be very boring eh!

Thanks for the input and the info, take care!

[Geeselad]

I'd take shite Stafford over shite Wigan any day personally. But I sposse you this kind of crap .https://youtu.be/6PL2BnilVRA

 

One of the most soulful records ever made imho 

[Geeselad]

I'd take shite Stafford over shite Wigan any day personally. But I sposse you this kind of crap .https://youtu.be/6PL2BnilVRA

 

One of the most soulful records ever made imho 

[Woodbutcher]

7 minutes ago, geeselad said:

I'd take shite Stafford over shite Wigan any day personally. But I sposse you this kind of crap .https://youtu.be/6PL2BnilVRA

 

One of the most soulful records ever made imho 

Your link was not working ... here's your video ... 

 

[Greedy]

Thought the information from Tim was really interesting.  But what I would like to know is as I bought a lot of my records from Tim at oddfellows/Stafford has he got anymore but at the prices I paid back then?? 

[Greedy]

Before anyone takes offence to this it is being made purely in jest. And I am not expecting to purchase such records at such prices kind regards Mick

[Driveller]

8 hours ago, colouredman said:

 

Back in the early 80’s...

1)  Bear in mind this was late Wigan / Early Stafford time...,

2)  I couldn’t believe that someone actually wanted to buy my junk records!

George then went on to sell it to either Gary or Guy I think, but it started life as a reject in my ‘Shit Box’!!! Lol.

 

Hi Tim, Thanks for this, always wanted to pinpoint the origins of this one. 

Two things to say -

1) does this mean it was definitely never played at Wigan - accounts are all saying 'early 80's' etc, just around the boundary between Wigan and post-Wigan but nobody's stated firmly - was this in time to scrape in at the end of Wigan or just after?

and

2) I always enjoyed being the beneficiary of your 'shit' box - I'm sure I wasn't alone! 

Cheers,

Nick

 

 

[Wiganer1]

37 minutes ago, Driveller said:

Hi Tim, Thanks for this, always wanted to pinpoint the origins of this one. 

Two things to say -

1) does this mean it was definitely never played at Wigan - accounts are all saying 'early 80's' etc, just around the boundary between Wigan and post-Wigan but nobody's stated firmly - was this in time to scrape in at the end of Wigan or just after?

and

2) I always enjoyed being the beneficiary of your 'shit' box - I'm sure I wasn't alone! 

Cheers,

Nick

 

 

i wouldnt have thought it was played at wigan nick....definately leicester oddfellows

 

[Greedy]

I have a tape from the Oddfellows 1st anniversary in Feb 1983 and Gary Rushbrook  introduces Bobby Smith as being played for the 1st time at Leicester and  he says  he played it  for  first time at the previous Stafford niter. So if anyone knows the date of that Stafford all nighter We will know the first time it was played out.  Hope this helps. Regards Mick.

[Geeselad]

2 hours ago, Greedy Mick said:

I have a tape from the Oddfellows 1st anniversary in Feb 1983 and Gary Rushbrook  introduces Bobby Smith as being played for the 1st time at Leicester and  he says  he played it  for  first time at the previous Stafford niter. So if anyone knows the date of that Stafford all nighter We will know the first time it was played out.  Hope this helps. Regards Mick.

Seems odd now to think that this tune had only been discovered few years before I got into Northern in 86. It was really well know but I wouldn't describe it as hammered in the era. Had reached its peak by this point!? 

[Chas]

Didn't Tommy Ridgeley see the light of day at Wigan? Maybe in the latter stages. 

[Chalky]

4 hours ago, chas said:

Didn't Tommy Ridgeley see the light of day at Wigan? Maybe in the latter stages. 

Just the once at late 80. Would be 83 before any serious plays. 

[Driveller]

On ‎23‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 21:14, Greedy Mick said:

I have a tape from the Oddfellows 1st anniversary in Feb 1983 and Gary Rushbrook  introduces Bobby Smith as being played for the 1st time at Leicester and  he says  he played it  for  first time at the previous Stafford niter. So if anyone knows the date of that Stafford all nighter We will know the first time it was played out.  Hope this helps. Regards Mick.

I think that sounds like the magic bullet I was looking for, Mick.  Thanks for that, and thanks to all who have helped narrow this down.

[Geeselad]

20 hours ago, chalky said:

Just the once at late 80. Would be 83 before any serious plays. 

Who was the first to spin TR then chalky? 

[Chalky]

3 hours ago, geeselad said:

Who was the first to spin TR then chalky? 

Richard Searling at Wigan. Then went to John Vincent who played it at Morecambe. 

[luxury soul]

Mine, definitely styrene.

Surprised by this topic as was played a lot; probably due to the fact that it is simply brilliant! It’s always such a buzz hearing tunes of this quality for the first time! Hope there’s more to come

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

8 minutes ago, luxury soul said:

Mine, definitely styrene.

Surprised by this topic as was played a lot; probably due to the fact that it is simply brilliant! It’s always such a buzz hearing tunes of this quality for the first time! Hope there’s more to come

It was played a lot in the eighties yes, but hasn't been played much, well at all, with our crowd, in recent times, it's enjoying a resurgence within our crowd as a lot are, or were, hearing it for the first time, it's a big hit with the new breed who weren't going in the eighties when the record was popular.

This situation might be peculiar to the crowd we have moved into, ie: the South West crowd, Gloucester, Bristol, Devon, Cornwall crowd, having said that we do have folks from all over, perhaps it's got a lot to do with it not being a Casino or Yate spin. The records' main time was the eighties so those who missed the eighties scene didn't really know it, they do now though, and they love it! 

[luxury soul]

1 minute ago, BabyBoyAndMyLass said:

It was played a lot in the eighties yes, but hasn't been played much, particularly with our crowd, in recent times, it's enjoying a resurgence within our crowd as a lot are, or were, hearing it for the first time, it's a big hit with the new breed who weren't going in the eighties when the record was popular.

This situation might be peculiar to the crowd we have moved into, ie: the South West crowd, Gloucester, Bristol, Devon, Cornwall crowd, having said that we do have folks from all over, perhaps it's got a lot to do with it not being a Casino or Yate spin. The records' main time was the eighties so those who missed the eighties scene didn't really know it, they do now though, and they love it! 

That’s great to hear! Looking forward to reading what else is enjoying a resurgence!

[Benji]

Bobbie was played a lot in Germany in the late 90s. And I heard it again every now and then recently in Munich.

[Pat]

Looking for a value on Walk on Into My Heart on American Arts A22(White Demo/Red Text) Ex Cond

                   Cheers Alan C.

[Guest BabyBoyAndMyLass]

1 hour ago, Pat said:

Looking for a value on Walk on Into My Heart on American Arts A22(White Demo/Red Text) Ex Cond

                   Cheers Alan C.

Merged with this Alan I think the info you're after is in here, or will be soon if not mate.

[Chalky]

2 hours ago, Pat said:

Looking for a value on Walk on Into My Heart on American Arts A22(White Demo/Red Text) Ex Cond

                   Cheers Alan C.

£120 give or take.

[Robbk]

On 02/05/2018 at 06:58, sunnysoul said:

Robb ... been meaning to ask you for a  long time now ... how old were you when  your photo was taken ?

That was taken when I was working for The UN in The Arab countries and Africa from 1976-1989.  If I remember correctly, it was taken while I was working in Jordan (1979-82).  I think it was in 1979, which would have made me 33 years old at that time.  I am now 72.